Online Safety Bill
 Online Safety Bill  (law, internet censorship, COVID-19/Legislation, Hate)   | |
|---|---|
| Type | law |
| Founded | 2021 |
| Author(s) | |
| British law which will enable internet censorship | |
The Online Safety Bill is currently going through the UK/Parliament. It will make online trolling a crime and combat "extremism" and "misinformation".
Overview
The bill is meant to criminalise trolls and "online hate speech". It has been argued that the bill will protect freedom of expression but the short title of the bill suggests otherwise.[1] She is being encouraged to make the bill more broad by the Labour Party.[2] A Counter-terrorism angle has also been used to promote the bill. Keir Starmer wants trolls who commit "online hate crime and hate speech" to be targeted in the legislation.[3]
Committee hearings
Footballer Anton Ferdinand appeared before committee and said social media companies need to take action over racist abuse before a high-profile footballer commits suicide because of online persecution.[4]
Promotion
The Center for Countering Digital Hate supports the bill.
A threat to journalism. It is meant to protect Members of Parliament from online hate speech, AKA legitimate critisism. The death of David Amess is being used to justify the bill.
Former Brexit Secretary David Davis described the law as a "censor's charter". "You can be sure that in any area of controversy – political issues, culture wars, or even COVID science – there will be plenty of people complaining and demanding a post be taken down. "And with Silicon Valley mega corporations as arbiters of the truth, anything that appears online and can be characterised by someone as misinformation could be censored. "The chilling effect on free speech will be terrible," he added.[5]
UK/Culture Secretary Nadine Dorries says "online hate has poisoned public life, it's intolerable, it's often unbearable and it has to end. Enough is enough. Social media companies have no excuses. And once this bill passes through Parliament, they will have no choice". Twitter says that the bill needs "far more clarity".[6]
Related Documents
| Title | Type | Publication date | Author(s) | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Document:Nadine Dorries resignation letter | Letter | 27 August 2023 | Nadine Dorries | Nadine Dorries has resigned from her Commons seat with a scathing attack on Prime Minister Rishi Sunak. The Mid Bedfordshire MP's full resignation letter is below in full... |
| Document:Someone said they wanted to see me trapped in a burning car and watch flames melt my flesh | Article | 22 October 2021 | Nadine Dorries | After the murder of MP David Amess, a crackdown on "internet trolls" is being demanded by most politicians. The UK's new Culture Minister Nadine Dorries is pursuing new overreaching legislation regulating Big Tech. The "Online Safety Bill" will abolish online anonymity and empower internet censorship. There are fears that it will be the end for freedom of expression in the UK. |
References
- ↑ https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10122113/Social-media-firms-forced-law-stamp-abuse-anonymous-online-trolls.html
- ↑ https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/politics/labour-blasts-government-refusing-protect-25075066
- ↑ https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/hate-crime-loophole-social-media-keir-starmer-b1941836.html
- ↑ https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/sportsnews/article-9969257/Anton-Ferdinand-slams-big-tech-firms-failing-protect-players-vile-racist-abuse.html?ns_mchannel=rss&ns_campaign=1490&ito=1490
- ↑ https://news.sky.com/story/what-is-the-online-safety-bill-and-why-are-some-people-worried-about-it-12437427
- ↑ https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-59010723
